Professional firefighters: Findings from the National Wellness Survey for Public Safety Personnel

Professional firefighters are routinely exposed to occupational stressors that place them at a higher risk of developing mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. This article discusses findings of the National Wellness Survey for Public Safety Personnel, specifically the stressors that professional firefighters are exposed to on the job and their impact. Results indicated high levels of both occupational and individual stressors in this group. Common occupational and personal stressors and mental health symptomology endorsed by professional firefighters are discussed. Findings also revealed that about 40% of professional firefighters are facing clinically substantial levels of anxiety and depression, and more than 10% are experiencing clinically significant levels of posttraumatic stress disorder in numbers surpassing the general population. Most professional firefighters indicated being adversely impacted by their duties but did not want to utilize services, which is in line with prior research. Suggestions for assisting professional firefighters in mitigating occupational and personal stress are presented, and proposals for future research are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).